GOLDEN, Colo. — Denver7 | Your Voice visited Golden last week, where residents shared their favorite aspects of their Front Range hometown, while also acknowledging a deep-seated frustration that is all too familiar across Colorado — parking woes.
We heard from so many of you who say parking can be a royal headache in Golden, and not just on weekends, but every day of the week, at all hours of the day.
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“There’s never enough parking for everybody who wants to be here,” said Isaac Eid, who works at a CBD shop just off Washington Avenue. “It’s a super popular town, especially during the spring and summer, so parking is frequently a challenge.”
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Rhonda Tinti and Amanda Phillips, friends visiting from Sacramento, California, came to see Sting perform at Red Rocks this week.
“As a tourist in a tourist town, you’d think you could easily find parking that you don’t have to pay for,” Tinti said.
Because we heard about these concerns throughout several conversations last week, we wanted to bring you some answers. This week, we sat down with Matt Wempe, principal planner for the City of Golden, to gain more insight and any future solutions.
Wempe is the guy in charge of parking issues and other planning projects in Golden.
And right off the bat, he said he hears you.
“That’s constant feedback that we hear, and we try to be responsive,” he explained.
Wempe said the great thing about Golden is it’s a small community that does value the opinions of the public and does listen, especially when it comes to residents and a workforce full of commuters.
“Ninety-five percent of our residents leave town every day for work and about ninety percent of our workforce comes into town for work every day," Wempe said. "So, we’re constantly listening to the community. We’re hearing how we can make changes.”
The changes are measurable.
Golden is currently proposing protected bike lanes on Ford and Jackson Streets — which run parallel to Washington Avenue — between 14th Street and 24th Street. The city is also proposing a raised four-way intersection at Jackson Street and 24th Street, and improvements at the Ford Street and 14th Street intersection. Those upgrades are in accordance with the city's 2023 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
The city has also improved crosswalks and added what they call Ore Cart Service — small 15- to 20-person buses that run three routes, including one that connects the W Line of RTD’s light rail to the Colorado School of Mines and downtown Golden for free.
And Golden also offers free parking permits to workers like Eid.
“Although, that was kind of startling almost to hear because I was like, ‘OK, I live here already and I’m going to start getting ticketed if I want to drive 5 minutes into town?'" he told us. "I didn’t know how it would work if you didn’t have a permit. But I’ve figured it out and it’s nice that we have the option of not having to pay for parking because, of course, that’s a cost that comes out of my pocket — or would — every day."
Wempe said its important to city leaders that visitors who come to Golden have options for parking.
"You can take transit from Golden all the way out to DIA if you want to," he said.
Yet, despite taking meaningful strides, there are still so many stories of parking frustrations among workers, residents and their friends.
“My friend who walks with me was parked for more than two hours by the library and got a ticket," said Jennifer, who lives downtown. “And my understanding is it was very steep.”
The city does offer the first two hours of parking for free, but each additional hour is $2.50, with a maximum of $10 per day, according to the city's website. Registration is still required after parking.
“There’s got to be a better way forward beyond the first two hours free on the street,” said Phillips.
Denver7’s Russell Haythorn asked Phillips, who was visiting with Tinti, about what sort of solution they could picture.
“Ultimately, it’s going to make the town more money if they’re not pressuring (tourists) to be in and out within two hours or worried about paying a big chunk of money on parking," Tinti said.
The city says the Clear Creek Parking Lot at 304 10th St. is a "great area" for free, daytime parking and is close to Parfet Park.
Most of the downtown area and 10th Street corridor has paid parking. Plus, neighborhoods around downtown have specific residential area permits for parking. However, parking garages typically have open space, the city's website reads. Availability at those garages is available online here. The city also offers the Park Golden Co's Map 'N Park mapping tool, which is available on its website.
After 5 p.m., anybody is welcome to park for free in the city except in the neighborhood permit zones, the city's website reads.
In these Denver7 | Your Voice stories, we want to hear from you about what matters most in your community. We hope to hear what makes our communities special, the challenges facing them, and everything in between. Have an idea or want to share your thoughts? Fill out the contact form below.
